


Finding Stability

by Bam4Me



Series: A Million Ways To Enter a Big/Little Relationship [46]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: 00 agents are very eager to help their quartermaster, Alternate Universe - BDSM, Asexual Q, Caregivers Alec and James, Gen, Littles Are Known, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Open Marriage, Open Relationships, Protective Alec Trevelyan, Protective James Bond, Q Branch, Q Has a Cat, little!Q
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-07-24 09:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16172726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bam4Me/pseuds/Bam4Me
Summary: Q was a little, he wasn't incompetent, he didn't need to be little all the time, and if HR sends him one more 'polite advisement' about taking time off to be in littlespace, he's going to tank their entire department on his day off, and tell his minions not to fix it till he got back. He was done with their shit. Just done. They weren't medical, they weren't any of those dumb MI6 hired therapists, they had no right to tell him when he needed time off.Thankfully, when you're this cute, and this brilliant, just about every double-oh is willing to bend over backwards to help. God, he wished he knew that sooner.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> avengersnonsexualageplay.tumblr.com
> 
> So... I was going to make this all one big massive one shot... but I'm tired, and I think this fic will do better with chapters than sequels, and so, yeah, give me validation thanks
> 
> This is what happens when I'm too tired to knit. I don't have to LOOK to type tho...

Alec nearly jerked his hand back with a low hiss, but his wrist was still firmly strapped down to the arm of the chair, leaving him scowling at the one who had tied him down.

 

“You know, normally, when people tie me down without buying dinner first, I usually have to kill them.”

 

James gave a laugh from him place on top of the table off to the side of the room. Alec was tied to the only chair, so he’d made himself at home there. Q looked amused as he started up the Smart Blood system and made sure it was all working. Bond, as always, was the original test subject for most of these things -Alec was starting to think his husband has some weird fetish for letting people use his body for stuff, but he’s long since stopped judging the man, so he’ll let it go- and Alec had been the second one on the list to try the system next.

 

003 would be in line after that. She was smart, and always waited for two volunteers before submitting to any body altering technology. Then so on until all the double-oh agents have been either gotten, or submitted reports for reasoning on why they didn’t want it. They may be double-oh agents, but it was still their body, and that had that right of choice.

 

“That’s not true, I can tie you up and you don’t complain a bit. Granted, I don’t normally put you in magnetized handcuffs…”

 

James stood up and moved so he was standing in front of Alec, inspecting the cuff with a bright look in his eyes. One that made Alec want to smack him because he was obviously getting some bright ideas. Well, fuck that. Alec moved his leg to kick the man before freezing when James put that foot on Alec’s chair, right between his legs. Alec wrapped his free hand around the ankle and glared up at him.

 

“I don’t know why I married you…”

 

James just grinned and leaned down, just distracting enough to slip his foot off the chair again. “Aww, and here I thought I was your soulmate.”

 

Q finally put the tablet down and turned to look at them. “If you two are quite done?”

 

They both leered at him. “Oh, we could keep going.”

 

Alec’s eyes were bright. “You could even join us if you’re into that sort of thing.”

 

The door to the room opened and in came a cross looking Moneypenny, who crossed her arms and glared at the two of them at the chair. “Bond, unlock him, Trevelyan, I better not have just heard you hit on him.”

 

Alec gave her an offended look. “If you think I was the only one you weren’t listening well enough.”

 

James freed the man’s right arm from the magnets and stood up so he could get up now. Q seemed to be watching the three of them like he wasn’t… quite sure where this was going…

 

Alec watched the woman -in six inch heels and she still only reached his collarbone, and yet, he had the distinct feeling that he was being talked down to- and scooted back a step, making it so she was closest to James now. “Okay, what did I do now?”

 

Moneypenny glared at him like he’d insulted her own mother. “You don’t  _ hit on a little _ , that’s bad conduct.”

 

Q was the one to speak up this time, sounding confused. “Wait, you don’t? No one told  _ me _ that, you’d think that would be something I would know?”

 

Eve looked around the hulking double-oh figures to Q, who was leaning against the table while he watched them now. “Wait, what?”

 

Q shrugged. “Well, if it’s bad conduct to hit on a little, wouldn’t someone have told me by now?”

 

Eve made a distressed noise, coming to stand next to Q herself. James and Alec had  _ no _ idea where any of this was coming from, so, like good spies, they stood and watched.

 

“Q,  _ you _ are the one who told me it’s bad conduct to hit on a little.”

 

Q bristled, looking bewildered. “No, why would I do that? Littles aren’t inherently asexual, and they have adult headspaces too, it’s not bad conduct to proposition one.”

 

Eve made a weird little noise in the back of her throat. “You told Davidson that you could get hi marked up just for hitting on you last week! I assumed that meant it’s against conduct to try that shit on littles!”

 

Q let out a sigh, shaking his head. “I didn’t say that because I’m a little, though I  _ am _ asexual, I said that because he tried to put his hand on my ass and that was already the fifth time I told him to fuck off.”

 

Alec went still, giving a glare that would have any lesser agents quaking. No one in this room feared that look. “I’ll break his damn arm, you should have reported him anyways!”

 

James frowned, looking back to where Q was leaning against the table, looking embarrassed now. “Q, why  _ didn’t _ you report him? That sort of thing isn’t acceptable behavior, and if he did that to you, he’s likely not going to stop if he does it to someone else. You’re very firm about your boundaries, but someone else might not have as much luck, Davidson is a really big guy.”

 

Alec turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “Didn’t Davidson get demoted from field agent last year for steroid use?”

 

James nodded, looking less than pleased. “Yes, the bosses took him off route because he was getting aggressive in a way that’s closer to ‘white male with a gun’ than MI6 agent. As far as I’m concerned, he shouldn’t be working here at all after  _ molesting _ someone on top of that.”

 

They turned back to Moneypenny and Q, expecting some sort of answer for not reporting that. Q looked oddly… shy. He shifted in place a little, looking away from them. James wondered if Q was close to littlespace. Alec… well, Alec didn’t actually know Q was a little until now. But he was adaptable.

 

“Whenever… I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. I’ve told him to lay off, and he hasn’t made a move since, I didn’t think HR needed to be informed.”

 

Moneypenny didn’t look convinced. “But  _ why _ ? Obviously he misstepped.”

 

Q threw up his hands placatingly, shaking his head while he looked at the ground. “Listen, I don’t like getting HR involved in things like this. If it was someone else that had a complaint, sure, I’m the head of an entire department, I need to talk to them sometimes, but whenever I have a personal issue, they make this big fuss about it like I can’t handle myself.”

 

James looked pissed. “Because you’re a little? What kind of archaic bullshit- no, you know what, I’m going to take a look into that myself. Their title is  _ human resources,  _ their job is to take care of personal issues, if they’re too incompetent for it, they don’t need to be there.”

 

Q snorted, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “Have fun with that. It’s taken me years of working here just to convince them I don’t need anymore time off than anyone else. I think half the requests in their department must go through the same person because I get stonewalled in the same way every time I need to go to them. They’re constantly hounding me to take time off, to look for a caregiver, to  _ switch to a less dangerous department _ , I swear I’m going to hit one of them.”

 

“Don’t worry, Jamie and I’ll handle the physical stuff.”

 

Q wanted to tell the two of them to stop coddling him now, but when he looked at them… they seemed just genuinely pissed. And when double-ohs get pissed about something, they’ve already made up their mind about it. He looked over at Eve, hoping she would help instead, but she just gave him a long look, which meant she was going to be watching them herself. Great.

 

Q’s fingers twitched, and he wanted to get his blanket from his office. It smelled like home and his cats, and it had little kittens on the edge of the fleece, and it was big enough to nap in when he was feeling tired.

 

But, he was at work right now, he needed to stay adult so he could work and be productive. If he suddenly fell to littlespace at work, he would just prove to HR that he was too little to do his job here.

 

It was Friday night. He had the weekend off -barring all emergencies- and he had his daycare group tomorrow morning until tomorrow afternoon. He could be little  _ all day _ tomorrow and even the next day -though he would have to be careful, since he didn’t have someone to take care of him on Sundays- and that would help. He would be fine.

 

But… tomorrow was forever away…

 

“Q?” Bond had a soft voice sometimes, sounding like he wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and hide him away. Q liked the voice, but not only that, he liked  _ Bond _ , because as much as the man would fuss at him when he hasn’t slept in a day and a half, as much as he would bully him into a bed in one of the emergency rooms in the basement, as much as Bond would bring him food when he’d gone for half a day without and Moneypenny wasn’t around to do it for him, Q knew that Bond respected him, because he  _ let _ Q get to that point.

 

Hell, after twenty-four hours awake, basically all designations went out the window, because pretty much everyone but the double-ohs were useless at that point if they weren’t running on adrenaline and stimulants. So, when Bond bullied him into a bed at that point, it wasn’t even because he was a little, it was because he was probably incompetent as any other adult at that point. When he forced him to eat, it wasn’t because he was a  _ little _ and incapable of feeding himself, it was because James was military trained and liked regular meals, and knew that Q wasn’t, and didn’t.

 

He bit his lip once, fiddling with a strap under his cardigan sweater, before pulling something out. “I’m fine, I just need…” He slipped the thing into his mouth and gave a few hard sucks to calm down. He always kept an emergency paci on his body somewhere. Even while firmly adult, it was soothing enough to help him calm down and concentrate. He usually sucked on it while he was coding in his office, or working out in the main lab with the rest of his minions.

 

They seemed to ignore it well enough. It wasn’t all that strange. Marcia had a stuffed kitten that she kept at her desk. Walters wore his Doms collar at all times. None of them judged. They were used to staying close to their designations, even in their work.

 

James was giving him a fond look that made him wanna throw a fit -but that would be childish, and he wasn’t going to drop until he got home from work, because it was the professional thing to do- because it made him feel all warm and gushy inside, but he didn’t coo, he didn’t call him cute, he didn’t tell him that maybe he was too little to stay at work… James honestly believed that little or not, he could handle his job.

 

Moneypenny thought so too, and Q really hoped that Alec did as well. Moneypenny nodded, handing him back his tablet before gesturing to the door. “Alright, we should get back to work, you make sure everything is all set up with his Smart Blood.”

 

Q nodded, already halfway out the door, paci still in his mouth -it was a nice brown and tan paci that matched his cardigan even- and reading off the tablet as he went.

 

Even riding that edge of littlespace all afternoon, he still got all his work done, a very successful afternoon honestly.

 

***

 

Alec and James were in the shooting range around six that evening, packing away their guns after spending a few hours there to entertain themselves. It was either this, or fucking, and Alec still had a fucked up hip after his last mission, just thinking about sex within the next few days was enough to keep him soft. He wasn’t like James, a little pain is okay, but this was too far for playing with.

 

James was the most masochistic Dom Alec knew. 

 

“So, we haven’t talked about this yet, but I want us to go home with Q tonight.”

 

Alec gave the man a funny look, far too amused. “Yes, like I couldn’t tell the way you had to drag yourself away from him.”

 

James didn’t bother denying it, giving him a shrug. “Alec, he’s running that edge, he’s gonna  _ drop _ when he gets home tonight. Listen, our quartermaster is a competent as they come, but no one should be alone during that, and he only has a regular caregiver on Saturdays, and that’s  _ if _ no emergencies call him into work.”

 

Alec sighed, giving him a nod. “Alright, yeah, he shouldn’t be alone, but will he accept you being the one to go home with him?”

 

James nodded. “Of course he will. Q doesn’t have many others, but Moneypenny is one of the furthest designations from a caregiver out there. At least I fall along that spectrum myself.”

 

He did fall along that spectrum, but James had one of the widest spectrums of designation Alec had ever seen, he could play it all, even a sub, within reason. Alec himself fell along the daddy and master spectrum, but he’s never considered being a caregiver in all honesty.

 

“Do you want me to come with you?”

 

When James smiled at him like that, he knew there was no other answer. It’s why they fit together, there was just so little they could say that would be anywhere near as important as just  _ existing _ together. It was just comfortable to be close.

 

Alec has been gone far too long, and he missed his husband dearly.

 

James stepped over to him, right into his space, leaning up so he could kiss him, slow and relaxed, a kiss he rarely shared with anyone else. It felt like home. “Of course I want you to come with. He has two cats.”

 

Well, Alec  _ did _ love cats.

 

“Alright, we’ll go gather up the boffin for safe keeping. He really is likely to drop when he feels safe enough. If he doesn’t feel safe enough around me, I’ll just head home so you can keep an eye on him.”

 

James was pressing little kisses all over his jawline, and Alec was actually thankful they were planning on spending the night with a little one, because his husband was far too tempting right now. “I’m sure he’ll feel perfectly safe around you, love.”

 

After all, Q and Alec may not have met each other in person until yesterday in medical, but they had a very good working relationship over the end of Alec’s most recent mission.

 

James was sure it would be fine.

 

***

 

Q still had his paci in his mouth while he worked at his desk in his office. James and Alec had checked in with his minions before they came to get him, and no other double-ohs needed his help in the foreseeable future -James was hoping Q could get a weekend free of interruption- and Q was in an otherwise pleasant, but tired mood.

 

James knocked on the door as they came into the room, dragging Q’s attention away from his computer. Q sucked thoughtfully at his paci before turning pink, and gently pulling it from his mouth to drop back on the cord around his neck, as if he’d forgotten it had been in his mouth at all.

 

“Hey, it’s almost half past six, Q, you should be heading home now.”

 

Q frowned. “Why? I always stay late.”

 

James shrugged, standing behind him at the desk so he could watch what Q was doing, though he had no idea what the man was actually doing. He sighed, running a hand through messy soft hair until Q took his hands off the keyboard, pushing up into his hands, nearly purring he was so pleased with the nice touch.

 

Q was  _ very _ close to headspace, and James wanted him away from MI6 before he fully gave into that.

 

“Well, to be honest, you’re very close to dropping, and I don’t want you to worry about dropping away from home.”

 

Q seemed to already be dropping now, but James couldn’t bring himself to regret the hand he had on Q’s head, knowing that it was a good drop, the kind of drop that left a sub feeling safe and content, the kind of drop that Q could have pushed away if he didn’t want it. Not the kind of drop that came from too long outside of headspace, this was the safe drop that would give him relief.

 

Q’s voice was little, sort of needy when he replied. “Gonna come home with me?”

 

James couldn’t resist, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Q’s forehead. He was a tactile person in just about all aspects of life, and Q was hard to resist. “If you want us to, kiddo.”

 

Q looked back towards the door, where Alec was still lingering. “Alec too? Please?”

 

Alec could feel a strange fluttering in his chest, and wondered if he’d been poisoned for all of two seconds, before he realized that he was  _ fond _ of all things, that Q made him want to be all protective and scary, but also, gentle. Normally, James was the only one who inspired that particular combination of feelings.

 

He nodded, a little smile coming up on his face, nothing like the roguish flirting from earlier in the day. “Of course, malysh.”

 

Q nodded, reaching up to stuff his paci back in his mouth before going to gather up his stuff so they could leave.

 

Q normally took the tube to work, so the ride back to his flat was done in the James’s ride, where Q was sitting in the back of the car -that he helped build- while he decompressed. James and Alec were quietly talking amongst each other in the front, giving him space to leave his big headspace for his little, and it seemed to be helping. Q was feeling utterly little and needy by the time they got to his flat.

 

Mittens and Peppermint were waiting by the door when they got in, rushing forward to greet their little master when he came home. They gave James a polite meow of greeting, but ignored Alec for now. He was a stranger, and therefore, not yet trusted.

 

“Q, do you wanna go change into more comfy clothes now that you’re home?”

 

Q nodded, Peppermint firmly in his arms as he cuddled with the young tom cat. “Yes yes, I go change. Dinner time?”

 

Alec nodded, already letting himself into the kitchen. “Yeah, dinner will be sometime soon, don’t worry, malysh.”

 

Q hummed with a nod, wandering off with the dark brown cat still in his arms. The other one, Mittens, was rubbing against James’s legs, demanding his attention. He had white paws. James had only met the cats a few times, but they both knew that James was always a safe bet for chin scritches.

 

Alec was looking through the fridge and cabinets when James followed him in, looking honestly pleased with what he found. “For a little that everyone says doesn’t eat as much as he should, he’s got a lot of fresh food. I think he makes meals in advance and freezes them.”

 

James shrugged, setting down the cat on the floor, who darted out of the room with an alarming speed. “It seems like something he would do. What’s for the menu tonight?”

 

Alec hummed, looking around. “Pasta? Yes, let’s go simple, mac and cheese with ground beef would be a nice filling meal.”

 

James nodded, going off towards the living room that he knew had a big wooden chest next to a fluffy soft rug. If anything was the toy chest in the apartment, it was likely that. Q may not be in his littlespace as often as society told him he should be, but he was still a healthy adult little, so he likely had toys stashed around somewhere. He opened up the chest and smiled to himself when he realized he was right. He kept the toy chest propped open for later, so Q could pick what he wanted to play with on his own.

 

Sitting on the top of the pile of toys inside was a bag of soft baby blocks that made James pause. He lifted up the blocks, inspecting them in their soft mesh bag, before moving some other items with a sense of worry in his chest.

 

It might be… ever so possible, that Q is  _ much _ younger in his headspace than James originally thought.

 

He put the blocks back in with a sigh, getting up to head back into the kitchen, where Alec had a pan of meat cooking and a pot of water waiting to boil for pasta. “No kiddo yet?”

 

Alec turned with a little hum, shaking his head. “Not that I’ve seen, he’s probably still getting ready.”

 

James tried to ignore the strange little flutter in his chest for all of two seconds, before he shook his head and started off towards Q’s bedroom. “I’ll go check on him then.”

 

James knocked on the door once before opening it, and was instantly glad he did. Mittens dove from the door and scrambled up to get onto the bed next to where Q was curled up, shaking on the covers. James frowned and sat next to him on the bed, putting a hand on the little’s back. “Hey, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

 

Q turned over with big wet tears dripping down his face, frustration written into every line of his body. “Buttons is hard, James.”

 

James took a second to decipher that, and suddenly realized, Q was crying because he couldn’t get his buttons open.

 

Oh, oh no, he was  _ much _ smaller than even James imagined, James wasn’t sure if he could handle a baby that young. He’d be damned if he didn’t try though. “You can’t get your buttons open?”

 

Q nodded, sniffling. “Stuck, James.”

 

James was turning into a melted pile of Dom over this little boy. He smiled, reaching out for the clingy boy. “Come on then, sweetheart, let’s get you all changed and ready for dinner. Then, after, playtime.”

 

“Bath?”

 

“If you want one after.”

 

Q nodded, looking determined. He liked baths. They made him hot and sleepy. “Help, please.”

 

***

 

Q as a little was  _ much _ younger than James thought he would be. He’d always thought the boy would be a young three or four, but Q was pushing one and a half, maybe. Big enough to get around on his own -thank goodness, because Alec was still too sore to carry a baby without messing up his hip, and James wouldn’t be able to carry him for more than a few minutes without getting a bad back- but still little enough that he could get hurt, or get into things he shouldn’t.

 

He was very insistent that he didn’t wear a diaper though. Q had very firmly told James that while some littles needed them, he didn’t, and dependence on a diaper after reaching the age of physical maturity can have lifelong consequences that he wasn’t willing to risk. Plus, the idea of someone changing him was really stressful.

 

He was still tiny enough that the paci rarely came out, but they were used to that by now.

 

But now Q was fussing, making a whining noise in the back of his throat while trying to pull away from Alec, who was cleaning up his face for him after dinner. Dinner was very good, but a lot of it had made it onto Q’s face instead of in his mouth. He was utterly adorable.

 

All thoughts of playtime were cut short when Q started fussing away from Alec as soon as he was able to, nose wrinkling up in displeasure. He was tired. Very tired.

 

Now the real question, should they risk a bath, or will that just lead to a tantrum?

 

Well, it was the one thing the little had asked for, and James and Alec could handle crying if it came to that, but he was  _ much _ more likely to cry if he didn’t get one. Alright, bath time it is. 

 

Q didn’t have a regular caregiver, except for the daycare he went to on Saturdays that he wasn’t called in for work on, but James knew about Q being a little for long enough that he wasn’t sure Q went into littlespace regularly enough…

 

There was no  _ set _ limit for how much a sub needed to be in headspace, as much as those conservative assholes want people to believe, but this was still a stressful job, Q was in charge of an entire department… plus there was some issue with HR that either Alec or both, depending on if James didn’t get called out for a mission before then, were going to have to spend Monday figuring out.

 

Even the two of them found time to unstress with willing subs, to the point where designation didn’t even matter for them.

 

Unwinding with a little could be just as rewarding as playing with a bondage junkie, if you’re versatile enough for it. And Q was an absolute joy to be around so far. 

 

As James watched his husband drawing a bath for the fussy little that James was undressing, he just hoped he could convince Q that he could play with them more often. It would be good for all of them. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's more! And there will even be more to come as well! As always, I love comments, but I hate when you ask when the next update will be and I won't answer that because it's annoying as hell.

James and Alec weren’t sure if Q would need to be watched while he slept. Some littles needed baby monitors, some could get by with a nightlight or their door cracked open. Some were utterly independant and didn’t need to be watched while they slept.

 

They didn’t find a baby monitor, nor a nightlight, so the two agents decided to leave the door open. Just for that night. It would help them in case Q woke up in a bad headspace, or had a nightmare. Or just in case he woke up and simply desired their company. That was a possibility too.

 

The little was curled around a stuffed teddy bear, paci in his mouth, wearing the _cutest_ footie pajamas that Alec had found in his closet while James had been bathing him. They had a hood with cat ears and a tail. If Q wasn’t so blatantly a little, Alec would have guessed him a kitten sub.

 

Alec couldn’t sleep right now. A dislocated joint isn’t exactly fun, and the way James could walk that shit off like nothing, said more about James’s masochistic tendencies than it did Alec’s inability to sleep this shit off. So he’d woken up a half hour ago to take pain killer, and now he was standing in the hallway, just outside Q’s open door, watching the way the little curled up with his teddy and his cats -one of them splayed out against his legs, and the other one laying across his neck- and thinking about how simple and relaxing it seemed.

 

Not being little, no, Alec would be terribly stressed as a little if he’s being completely honest, but just being able to get into headspace that quick.

 

Admittedly, half of Q’s reason for his fast fall to headspace was probably a lack of sleep and properly taking care of himself. Alec understood _that_ part, but it was a little harder to get into domspace while he felt like someone hit him with a mallet.

 

But, he _was_ along the daddy spectrum, and just watching that little boy curled up in bed, it calmed him. Normally, around this time back from a shitty mission like this, he’d be out on the balcony of his and James’s apartment, chain smoking until his husband woke up and rolled his eyes at him for killing his lungs.

 

But then, James would always turn it into a proper sulk, until the need to smoke was gone, and the need to throw the stropping Dom over his knee was _more_. James wasn’t a sub. Neither of them were. They didn’t give up control easily. James liked being beat, it was simply a physical want, to feel bruises, sometimes cuts. It didn’t mean he gave up control, but it was enough to get that hot buzz of domspace going in Alec’s muscles, until he was heady and needing to take care of James’s physical needs.

 

Most people don’t seem to get it. You don’t have to be a sub to get a dom into headspace, and you don’t need to be a sub to take what a dom can give you.

 

James was oddly easier to please. He liked being hit, but he did it on his own terms. He did just about everything on his own terms, floating through life with the knowledge that in the end, not even Alec could force him into anything.

 

They both could be easily appeased by various subs in their work. Taking care of them, or taking control of them. They had no honest _need_ for a sub in their lives. They just needed each other.

 

And yet, here he was, watching a baby boy that had caught his husband’s eye until James almost stalkerishly knew most things about him, and wondering at how _easily_ the boy had trusted them. Apparently, the two had made fast friends while he was still away, and though this is the first time Q has been little around James, they both knew it was just a matter of time before Q was on a proper playdate with Alec’s control freak of a husband.

 

Alec hadn’t even trusted James that fast. Of course, James and Q have known each other more than just over comms before now, Alec was the stranger here. And yet, he wasn’t. Q trusted him just as fast as he did James.

 

He shifted in place, and immediately regretted it when the floorboard creaked under his weight, and Q’s head came up off the bed with a little noise in the back of his throat, dislodging Peppermint from his neck, who gave him an annoyed little grumble and moved so he could lay above Q on the pillow instead.

 

What happened next, Alec never would have predicted.

 

“Mommy?” The word was mumbled out, barely a half awake thought, but it was still surprising to hear.

 

Alec came into the room with a thoughtful frown on his face. At the very least, he knew that Q didn’t have a caregiver. James would have found that out. He stopped next to the bed, gently running his fingers through the soft curls there, imitating the way James would sooth the little. It seemed to work, Q settling back down into the bed with a sigh.

 

“I’m sorry malysh, it’s only me. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

 

Q turned so his head wasn’t pressed into the pillows, giving him an impressive pout. “Isn’t nice. Have to say sorry.”

 

Alec couldn’t hold back the grin on his face as the baby boy leaned into his touch. “I did say sorry, malen’kiy.”

 

Q’s nose scrunched up. “No, say sorry with cuddles?”

 

Q was _precious_ and Alec wanted to keep him. James had _very_ good taste in men, it seems.

 

Alec grinned outright, sliding into the bed on Q’s left side, so the little boy stretched out on his tummy wouldn’t be on his bad side. The little scrambled over until he could shove his head down over Alec’s heartbeat. Alec liked it when a sub knew exactly what they wanted. Q sighed at the feeling of getting his ear properly over Alec’s heartbeat, going boneless and noodle-y. This time it as Mittens who gave them a disgruntled noise and went to join his brother at the top of the bed.

 

Alec carded his fingers through that messy hair again, making Q hum in pleasure. Alec felt like a proper Dom right now, seeing to a subs needs as easily as breathing -quite literally in fact- and it left a pleasant buzz under his skin that James was usually the cause of at home.

 

He loved his husband, but this? This was just _nice_.

 

“Would you be upset if I asked who you were looking for when you woke up?”

 

Q stirred a little, but didn’t go still. “Had a regular caregiver once. College. I probably called her mommy way earlier than is socially _acceptable_ , but you know how fast kids do things. She’s the only overnight caregiver I ever had before. And that was like seven years ago.”

 

Ahh, he was probably feeling so deep in subspace still that it had given him flashbacks to that time. Alec hummed, leaning in to kiss those messy curls. “Yeah, kids move fast. Did you break up?”

 

Q shrugged. “It was mutual. We knew it was coming. Different careers. Neither of us wanted to be the other’s regret. She moved away. I’ve never gone this deep overnight without her. I got confused.”

 

Alec gave him another little kiss, and a third just because Q was adorable and sweet and Alec was high on painkillers and wanted to spoil him a little, before laying back flat, hand gently running up and down Q’s back soothingly. “That’s okay malen’kiy. James and I know how to keep a sub down overnight. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

 

Q hummed against his chest again, this one much less awake than the last, and pulled the paci out of his pajamas again, sticking the nub in his mouth as his eyes drifted shut. It was nice to just be this deep for once. He hasn’t been this deep in years. He doesn’t want to come back up at all.

 

Alec doesn’t actually know if he fell asleep again, or if the painkillers were making him lose time, but the next time he blinked his eyes open, someone else was climbing into the bed with them.

 

“You abandoned me.” James was giving him a right _pout_ at the moment, looking like a stroppy brat. Anyone who watched them interact with each other, would just assume James was a brat sub, that he filled in the role of a little boy when Alec otherwise didn’t have one.

 

He really wasn’t a sub, and he did this shit entirely on purpose. Alec was half sure he only played the part to get a rise out of him in exactly the way James wanted it to happen. Alec was also fairly sure that if Alec had been inclined towards pets, Janes would find a way to fulfill that need instead. Probably with a lot of biting and licking.

 

James was everything perfect that Alec didn’t deserve.

 

“Didn’t abandon you, malysh needed cuddles. Believe it or not, people other than you exist.”

 

James’s pout got a little more defined, and he somehow managed to lean over Q in a way that didn’t wake him at all, grabbing Alec’s face in one immovable grip, and sealing their lips together. Alec lost more time to that, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it when the carefully placed kiss sent his skin buzzing for an entirely different reason.

 

James pulled back before ducking fully under the covers, pressing himself all along Q’s back. Alec just sighed, laying back in the bed again while James took exactly what he wanted.

 

People said Doms couldn’t find love together. People were just wrong about what a healthy relationship needed to be.

 

People were just wrong about how _perfect_ James was, even if that was only for him.

 

He needs to go to bed before he writes sappy love sonnets as an ode to James’s ass. He’s done it before. That time he had a broken arm and the whole infirmary had to listen to him waxing poetic about how a Dom could bring another Dom to his knees and it still didn’t make either of them a sub.

 

At least one of the nurses cried, but Alec is fairly sure it was cause he wouldn’t shut up.

 

He closed his eyes, willing sleep to come eat his brain and shut him the hell up. It worked.

 

***

 

There was always something discerning about waking up in a place other than home, with a little one babbling against your chest, but James took these things in stride.

 

Alec was still passed out on the other side of Q’s bed. The guest room had been nice, but Q’s bed was admittedly more comfortable, with a nice squish that probably cushioned Alec’s hurt hip much better. He looked down at the little curled up against his chest next and almost _cooed_.

 

Q was obviously deep in headspace, making cute little baby babbles to himself as he played with his teddy bear, one hand fisted in James’s shirt while the other waved the teddy around like he was a superhero.

 

Even as he resisted the urge to coo, he could feel his face going all soft as he looked down on the sub. He rubbed a hand along Q’s back, making the little startle, looking at him with a smile. “James!”

 

James gently shushed the little one, cuddling him close to his chest again. “Hey, kiddo, you’re up early.”

 

Q leaned back, stretching his head up so he could press a kiss to James’s chin. “Up up up, it’s not early, old people sleep forever.”

 

James raised an eyebrow at that, glancing over Alec’s head to the alarm clock on the bedside table, noting that it was, in fact, seven in the morning.

 

If this isn’t early, James doesn’t want to know what is. He rather enjoys sleeping in when him and Alec weren’t on assignment.

 

Then again, they _had_ put the boy to bed rather early, even by baby standards. James sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to tempt the baby back to sleep anytime soon.

 

“Alright, sweetie, do you want to help Uncle James make breakfast?”

 

Q, the absolute little darling, grinned, nodding eagerly at the idea of being a little helper. He was a little charmer. James ushered the little one out of the bed and the room before pausing to stop by Alec’s side of the bed, leaning down to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Back to sleep, love, I’ll keep the baby entertained.”

 

Alec just grumbled at him, drifting off again.

 

Out in the kitchen, James set to the all important task of making breakfast while simultaneously keeping an eye on both a baby -who wanted to get into _everything_ \- and two cats who tried to steal the bacon every time his back was turned. It was proving to be almost as active as being a double-oh agent. He loved it with his whole heart.

 

Okay, admittedly, he liked it a little less when Q realized the cabinet with the pans didn’t have a child lock on it. He had to distract the little fast before Q made enough noise to wake up Alec again, and ended up with a babbly baby playing with soft blocks on the floor, occasionally scolding Peppermint for stealing one.

 

He seemed to like the ones with the kittens on them the most. James was less than surprised. He was starting to see a pattern.

 

He had two plates made up - one of them a cute plastic with Star Wars characters on them, and the other a much more dignified glass, because even he was lost to the standards of society’s expectations of littles, and it was cuter this way. Alec would sleep for a while still, James would make him something when he was up again.

 

“Come on, buddy, it’s time for food.”

 

Q was a cute little thing, climbing up from the ground and directly onto the chair, a pleased little look on his face. “Food.”

 

James sat down on his other side, suspiciously eyeing the cats when they looked like they might consider a hop up onto the table. They, in fact, decided that it wasn’t worth it and slunk off to the living room.

 

“Can you be a big boy and feed yourself, or do you need help?” It was a valid question. He’d needed help with dinner the night before, far too uncoordinated to really do it on his own without making a massive mess.

 

Q seemed to think that over for a moment before nodding. “I do!”

 

He forwent the utensils, deciding that the most important tools he owned were his fingers. Beautiful.

 

James just shook his head, feeling way too fond, and went to eat his own breakfast.

 

“So, Q, I have a very important question for you.”

 

Q hummed from around two fingers, mouth full of toast. “Question?”

 

James smiled at him. He was so tiny. “Yes. I was wondering, if you would rather spend the day with me and Alec instead of going to your playgroup? Or, Alec and I could bring you there, and pick you up when it’s done.”

 

Q seemed to take a bit longer to answer this time, sounding a little nervous. “You don’t have to do that.”

 

James nodded. “You’re right. Alec and I _like_ spending time with you when you’re little. So the decision is yours. Even if I manage to get called in today, Alec is on medical leave and will watch you if I can’t.”

 

Q hummed, looking a little sad. “When I’m little…”

 

James backtracked fast. “Oh, buddy, when you’re big too. I love spending time with you when you’re big and Alec will too.”

 

Q hummed again, cheering up fast. “Okay, I stay, we play?”

 

James nodded, feeling absolutely delighted. It was a scientific fact that being in a proper scene could raise serotonin and dopamine levels to provide a happy and stable mood for both partners, and it was amazing. Helped fight depression and anxiety too.

 

Q was probably swimming in hormones right now, since he hasn’t had a proper scene in who knows how long, but James just felt a little light all over. It’s probably what kept the little down so far.

 

“We will play as much as your heart desires.”

 

It seemed to be the right thing to say, Q looked pleased as anything.

 

***

 

Alec was getting used to waking up in strange places, but this was by far the weirdest. He was holding a teddy bear tucked against his side, and he was covered in a cartoon fleece blanket. Wild.

 

He got off the bed with a sad little groan when that meant moving his right leg, before checking the side table. It was almost ten in the morning, and someone had left him a glass of water and another pain killer. He contemplated ignoring it for a moment, before taking the pill anyways.

 

It would take a bit to kick in, but he got up with another groan, feeling like an old man. Of course, he didn’t normally feel like an old man, but this damn hip sure as hell did.

 

Out in the living room James had somehow managed to get the little into a game of shapes-in-holes that actually kept the little’s attention, of only because James was hiding the shapes around the room for him to find like an Easter egg hunt, leaving them both amused.

 

Alec stood there, pain killers kicking in while he quirked a little grin at the delighted giggles from the quartermaster.

 

“Oh look, _someone_ decided to wake up, didn’t he?” James was using that stupid baby voice that he had for littles and babies and small animals, looking up at him with a cat cradled in his arms like a baby. Q abandoned his search for a square peg in favor of crawling over to the entrance of the room, sitting down on his little butt, and hugging Alec’s left leg, making babbly baby noises up at him. It was far too cute.

 

James gently set the cat -Mittens, Alec thinks- back on the ground and got up himself, coming over to kiss his missed partner. “You entertain the little one for a bit, I’ll go make some tea and breakfast.”

 

James nodded over to one of the corners of the room before he left, and Alec found a big comfy rocking armchair. Big enough that even he could cuddle up with someone in it. Perfect. He ran his fingers through Q’s curls for a moment before gently turning his face up.

 

“You want some cuddle time, malysh?”

 

Q nodded, a serene little smile on his face. He was utterly deep in headspace, completely blissed out on happy hormones.

 

He finally got off the floor, toddling after the caregiver with a hand covering the button of his paci. Alec took a second to get in a comfortable position before he tugged the little one up onto the rocker with him. Q squirmed around a moment, before he was able to tuck his slim body into Alec’s left side, snuggling down into him with a pleased little sigh.

 

Mittens jumped up onto the cushion with them before Alec was able to start a slow rocking motion, and for the first time he noticed that Peppermint seemed to be hiding under the entertainment system, glowing yellow eyes looking out at them.

 

Mittens put a single paw on Alec’s right thigh, near the hip, and Alec held back a preemptive wince at the pressure he knew would come, but Q sat up in his arms, immediately alert, slipping his paci out of his mouth.

 

“Mittens, ouch!”

 

Mittens immediately froze in place, before taking his paw back, giving a confused little meow. Mittens looked between his little owner, and Alec’s leg, before he seemed to realize that the two weren’t connected, and cautiously putting his little paw on the leg again. Q poked Alec in the side. “Gotta say it or he doesn’t know not to do that, Alec.”

 

Alec looked between Q and the cat who seemed to be trying to get up onto his thigh without putting too much weight down, and held back a sigh. “Mittens, ouch.”

 

He felt silly saying that, and he’s fairly sure he could hear James laughing at him from the kitchen, but it did it’s job, and Mittens backed down again. He looked frustrated now though. The cat circled in place once, and twice, before going to the edge of the couch, near Alec’s knee. He put a paw on Alec’s knee, before looking up at the man curiously. Alec deemed that a safe enough spot, and gave the cat a little scratch behind his ears, who meowed at him politely, before hopping up onto his knees, using them to cross his lap and right into Q’s waiting arms, snuggling up under his chin like it was just his favorite place in the world.

 

“Very well trained, malen’kiy.”

 

Q blushed, looking shy, and hid his face in Alec’s neck, sucking his paci back between his lips. “Gotta, gotta make sure they know boundaries. Even pets can learn boundaries.”

 

Alec carded his fingers through soft hair, giving him a little kiss on the forehead. “They can yes, malen’kiy.”

 

James finally came back in with a tray of tea. “Breakfast will be a bit longer but you never eat as soon as you’re up anyways.”

 

He set a mug of tea on the table next to the chair they were curled up on, before handing Q a bottle that looked like it was probably milk tea. The little made a pleased noise, popping the paci back out so he could replace it with his bottle nub, keeping his face smushed up against Alec’s shoulder as he lazily suckled his drink.

 

Alec felt more content than he’s been since he went on his last mission.

 

It’s probably the pain killers.

 

***

 

Going to bed again that night was similar to how it was the night before, a nice warm bath before the little was yawning too much to really keep his eyes open.

 

Alec and James got off the bed when his eyes were firmly closed, glasses on the bedside table and breath even. But as soon as they were up, his eyes popped back open. “Stay? Stay please and cuddle?”

 

James and Alec shared a look. It’s not like Q was an _actual_ child, if he wanted to sleep in the same bed with someone, it was really up whether or not all parties _wanted_ that. They got back into bed with him, one on either side. “Okay, kiddo, we’ll stay with you.”

 

Q sighed, sinking back down into the soft bedsheets with his eyes shut and a cat sitting above his head, and another on his chest. James curled an arm around Q’s stomach, and the little was dead to the world seconds later.

 

Alec yawned on the other side, voice low when he spoke. “I wouldn’t mind if this were a regular thing. He obviously hasn’t been this deep in years, and I haven’t slept this well directly after a mission this bad in probably the same.”

 

James watched him from over Q’s head of fluffy hair, gently nuzzling into the little so he could get closer to Alec as well. “I don’t think Q will have any issues with some more regularly scheduled playtime. If anything, he could use some more reliable caregivers who are available outside of business hours. Well, as available as we can be around our own schedules. All we can do is ask.”

 

They would just have to ask and find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See anything OOC? Note: I don't care, and this is an AU centered around ageplay, I'm assuming it's OOC and I'm not apologizing.

**Author's Note:**

> Lol so it's not said yet, but the dumbass HR issues are all happening because all of Q-Branch requests apparently get routed through the same guy who doesn't think littles should have jobs. Q-Branch has tons of littles and other various subs (and doms, but doms have never been barred from working like subs have) in it, and he's causing issues. 
> 
> Malysh - baby boy  
> Malen'kiy - little one
> 
> avengersnonsexualageplay.tumblr.com


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